Waiting...

Oh the waiting game...not so much fun.
It is so strange being here, in this country, and knowing that our little girl is off in another country, without us. :(

I want so badly for her to be here, to be home with us. I know the procedure, i know we wait and wait some more. It doesnt get easier. I feel like there is a missing piece, a hole in our family.

I watched and listened today as Noah was getting his shoes on this morning for school and Gracie was fixing her hair for the hundreth time, they were discussing who was going to squeeze Adelee the hardest and longest when she gets home, so sweet. Gracie then reached over and grabbed the sweet little picture of her baby sister and started to kiss all over it. I can not wait for the bonds to start to form between these three children. To witness the love that has over flowed from Noah and Gracie all these months to engulf this little girl. She will not know what hit her. There are soo many people here waiting with us.. Waiting to see her and to experience the wonder she is going to have over all of lives.

Joe and I have spent sometime talking about the difficulties we will have. We know it is not going to be easy. We know that there is going to be a long transition for her, for us, for everyone. We are so looking forward to having her here and making our family complete. Hard times, Good times, sad times.... we are looking forward to it all. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!!! We know this, we have lived this, even during my hardest moments in Ukraine-I felt this.

We are trying right now to figure out when Joe will be returning to Ukraine. We know that there are ALOT of holidays in Ukraine during the month of May. There is the international Labor Day-May 1-4, Victory Day-May 9-10, Holy Trinity-May 23-24 and Memorial Day May 31. I know this will through some kinks in our plans.. We will let everyone know when we hear from Oleg or Nadya when we return and when Joe can walk out those orphanage doors and THIS TIME be the one to HELP Adelee wave PAKA!!!!!

Home Safe

Just wanted to let everyone know that Joe made it home safely Thursday afternoon.
He is very tired and trying to adjust to our time here, but safe and sound.

The next travel date will be in two weeks. Joe will return to Ukraine and get Olga immediately!!! He will then have to finish up the rest of the paperwork, her passport and medical. Then she will be on her way home, at last!!! It seems very surreal. We will be spending the last couple weeks preparing last minute details of her arrival and making sure I have everything needed for her.
We want to thank everyone for the prayers and support. We loved hearing from everyone during our trip. We will keep everyone updated on when Joe leaves again and when he will be returning with our little girl..

LeaAnn

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INTRODUCING....


ADELEE

OLGA

NORMAN

Final Court Visit... CHECK! We are now officially a family of five! All is gravy in Kiev tonight. Olga is our daugter. AND the airlines are open so I will get to fly out super early (2:30 wake up, 5:30 first flight Ukraine time). If all goes well I should be able to fly back in approx. 2 weeks to get Olga and finalize paperwork allowing her to come to America.

Thanks again to everyone that has kept our family in your thoughts and prayers. It is not quite over yet but WOOOOOOOO what a step in the right direction!

O O Cheerios!

I departed to the orphanage this morning armed with a new weapon. Cheerios! Well the Ukrainian equivelant. Taking advice from adoption veterans Rett and Tony I thought an edible peace offering may aid me in this mission to convince Olga that this strange man is trying to win her over to his side. Overall they worked GREAT! Every time she seemed to be getting annoyed with me or things in general I offered up some Cheerios. During the entire visit she had no tears or need for estrogenic intervention. We had a relatively quiet visit with the last 25 minutes with my little girl asleep across my chest. I am not sure of the schedule at the baby house but Olga has seemed tired during several of our visits.I figure it could be any of the following or a combo!
1. She is just waking up when I arrive.
2. She has been up a while and is paying for it.
3. She is still getting medication for her bad cold or any other number of things that they choose to address with a medicine.
4. I am boring!
Knowing that option 4 is untrue I wish I could ask the doctor about some of these things but since I visit the orphanage without a translator my best communication is to nod alot and smile like I kinda know what is going on.

Let's try a video today!

Volcano Watch 2010

Really nothing all that thrilling to post. I had no ride to the orphanage Sunday so it was just another day filled with me trying to find any way possible to kill time. I spend most of my time (not at orphanage) on the internet, taking walks exploring just a bit further each time, or watching the news channels to see what is new with the airlines and the volcano. Seems prehistoric to be concerned with a volcano but right now I am REAL interested in them. Had just over an hour visit with Olga this morning. We did get to go outside ALONE for a short time. The groupa dressed her like a blizzard was forcasted and we went for a short stroller walk and then played on the one swing in the play area. After 15 minutes or so the doctor was returning from one of the other buildings and of course swung by to make sure all was okay. She felt Olga's fingers and nose and went on into the baby house. Not two minutes later a groupa came out and signaled to me that our outdoor adventure time was over. Olga put up with me for about 35 minutes back inside and once she decided it was time to return to her baby room, that was it. She began to cry and instituted the estrogen program to which I have no chance to withstand. A groupa came to the rescue and it was paka, waive, gone. I am going back tomorrow and then have court Wed. to hopefully wrap this first visit up on the high note that she will finally, legally be the fifth member of our little family. Then a funfilled Thursday playing avoid the ash cloud on airplanes.

A Couple Pics

Solution = Balloons + Jesus

After feeling sorry for myself yesterday for the so-so visit to Olga and wondering how I might manage to make it to Wed. for my final court and Thurs. AM for a plane ride HOME (please pray for the volcano to settle or the winds to change) I mustered up the courage to go to the orphanage this morning.
Two things came to light today that refocused my being here.
1)Balloons

I took some balloons with me today and they did the trick, it was a good time! Olga still looked at me a couple times like "Easy fella I'm still not 100% on this papa deal." But overall it was good. 3 other children were out with a groupa in the "lobby" area the whole time (I assume they were having Sat. morning cartoon time)and we all played with balloons and toys. One little girl was Angelena. She is the other child we considered adopting that was on RR site as Ashleigh.

2)Jesus

During the ride this morning I was listening to Hillsong United on the IPod and God laid this on my heart, " This whole trip/ adoption IS NOT ABOUT ME!" I am following HIS call to save this little girl. Who am I to focus on MY needs, MY feelings, MY etc. Some of the lyrics to the song "Solution" really got my head right so I will share them, they are not exact but close :)

GOD BE THE SOLUTION

Open up our eyes so blind
That we might find
The mercy for the need

Fill our hearts with your Compassion

GOD BE THE SOLUTION

It is not too far a cry
Too much to try
To HELP THE LEAST OF THESE

Be a Father to the fatherless
Our Saviour and our King

GOD BE THE SOLUTION

We will be your hands
Be your feet

We will run this race for the least of these
Your Love is all we need

GOD BE THE SOLUTION

In the darkest place
We will be Your Light

We will Run with the Solution
GOD BE THE SOLUTION

THANK YOU JESUS FOR THIS ANGEL!











Hope this Saturday finds you all in a good place!
Noah and Gracie, Daddy loves you and misses you both like crazy.

Joe

Island of Estrogen: Day 1

My plan to get some quality solo time with Olga crashed and burned this morning. When I got to the baby house I had to wait a few minutes while they finished Olga's "massage". 1st problem: Massages! I know its not mud masks and cucumbers but how am I supposed to be a step up from a massage?
After my short wait they brought out my little girl, OKAY PAPA TIME! 2nd problem: Papa time only sounded good to me. Olga stood staring at me like "no way dude, where is the female that usually brings you?"
Not to be disuaded I turned up the daddy charm and we started to play with her toys and I even got I few smiles, usually when she would throw a toy on the floor and look at me, grin, and say with those deep brown eyes, "get'em sucker."
We were okay for about 40 mins. until, 3rd Problem: Boogies, yes boogies! Poor Olga's nose is still running strong and one of the ladies gave us a tissue to use. This is where I overstepped my bounds. I took the tissue from Olga, not good, and attempted to whipe her nose, to clear the boogies. This put her over the limit, she began to cry and when I tried to make it all better it got worse. This started the 4th and final problem: Estrogen, it is all Olga knows! As soon as she started crying I was way outnumbered! The house Groupas and doctor swarmed her and I had no chance to even try to show that I was a caring dad. Olga knows them and despite their efforts to tell her while looking at me "Papa, Papa" Miss Olga was done. They might as well looked at me and said space ship, space ship because she has no clue what a papa or a space ship are! So they returned her to the safe confines of the inner island and I left a little deflated wondering how I could go back tomorrow.
So how is everyone else! That was just the morning! To help it is raining so another funfest day in the apartment WOOOO HOOOOO!

All in a days work to save a life LOL. I didn't get any pics this AM but I will try to get some from Wed. when I had my estrogen anchor with me ;)